In many applications, batteries are coupled together in series to obtain the desired voltage to provide stand alone or emergency power, or to power electrical devices such as an electric vehicle. Accordingly, many different types of electrical connectors have been developed for interconnecting the terminals of batteries so that the batteries can be electrically coupled together in series to provide the appropriate voltage to power the electrical device.
The most common type of terminal connector system utilizes flexible cables with terminal connectors crimped thereon. Other types of terminal connector systems include solid cabless connectors which are rigidly attached to the terminals. However, these prior art electrical connectors suffer from various disadvantages.
For example, many of the prior art electrical connectors require tools for their assembly. This can be time consuming and difficult to install in certain applications. Moreover, many of the prior art electrical connectors are required to be specially manufactured for that particular application. In certain cases, this can result in a number of different types of electrical connectors being used to interconnect a plurality of batteries together. Accordingly, many of the prior art electrical connectors are relatively expensive to manufacture and cannot be used in a wide variety of applications. Other limitations of prior art electrical connectors include less than optimal conductivity, and inflexibility of rigid connector to permit movement of the batteries without causing undue stress on the terminal. Many of these prior art connectors also suffer from heat build up and corrosion. Moreover, some prior art connectors utilize cables which require crimped connections.
Examples of some of the prior art electrical connectors are disclosed in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,073,670 to Ford; U.S. Pat. No. 1,460,604 to Potter; U.S. Pat. No. 1,854,489 to Sebell; U.S. Pat. No. 2,789,274 to Zam; U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,552 to Wilson et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,504 to Julian et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,106 to Hooke; U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,880 to Verdier et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,306 to Hasenauer et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,274 to Lowrance; U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,335 to Koch et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,063 to Koch et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,829 to Holl; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,752 to Baughman et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,552 to Dixon, Jr.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,103 to Kuboshima et al.
In view of the above, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that there exists a need for a battery terminal connector assembly which is inexpensive to manufacture and relatively simple to install, and which provides interchangeability, flexibility and compatibility of individual components to be readily adaptable to a wide variety of battery arrangements to interconnect a plurality of batteries in series. This invention addresses these needs in the art, along with other needs which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.